A Yankee Dandy Gilmore Girl
by StarsHollow4ever
Summary: Rory returns home to find life is moving on for everyone in Stars Hollow - including Dean. -- For Narco fans, please read and review --
1. Keeping Up Appearances

**** A Yankee Dandy Gilmore Girl ****

**Rory has always lived her life by her infamous to-do-list. Suddenly, she realizes that her life's to-do-list is missing two very big items: marriage and motherhood. She also realizes that all the hard work and planning she's put into to reach her number one goal, her career, led her to a job that isn't making her very happy. A trip back to Stars Hollow helps her find the missing pieces of her list and makes her realize she has other options.**

**Genre**: Romance, Drama, Humor  
**Pairings**: Luke/Lorelai, Dean/Rory  
**Rating**: K+1  
**Disclaimer**: _Lorelai, Rory, Luke, and Dean and all other recognizable "__Gilmore Girls" __characters belong to Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions, and the WB. There is no profit from the copyrighted characters or infringement intended._

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**A/N: Please note, this story does not include any reference to April (think: Judy on Family Matters). In my opinion, her introduction to the show was a cheap tactic (think: Oliver on the Brady Bunch) and was an insult to its viewers.**

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Rory stared out of her window of the Amtrak train and sighed with relief as she heard the conductor yell out, "Next Stop: Hartford!"

It'd been six months since she'd moved to New York and she'd finally gotten a week off to come home. She'd landed a position at "Forbes" magazine and thrilled as she'd been to get the spot, her duties as a financial reporter were beginning to bore her. Politics and fine literature had always been her first love, but when the employment agency had placed the call to her to let her know that Forbes had made the offer, she knew she'd have to accept it if she wanted to stay in the city and get the invaluable experience that came with it. She'd been searching for work for almost a month and a half and had almost given up when the call came.

She closed her eyes and smiled, remembering it was Friday, knowing that meant she and her mother and Luke would be taking her to her grandparents for dinner. Lorelai and Luke had gotten married right before she'd left for New York and it had been a source of comfort for her to know that Lorelai would have someone in her life since she was moving so far away and that that someone was Luke. As much as she loved her father, Christopher, she'd grown to realize Luke was the better choice for her mother. Luke had a strong paternal instinct and her mother had a lot of little girl left in her that needed the kind of love and understanding that only a man like Luke could give.

The train reached its stop and Rory grabbed her bag from the luggage rack, trudging behind the crowd, impatiently waiting to reach the door.

"Hey, Gilmore!" Lorelai called out, grinning ear to ear like a pixie, with a beaming Luke standing next to her on the train platform as she ran to hug Rory.

"Ribs cracking …. internal organs crushing… can't breathe!" Rory gasped.

Rory stopped in mid-hug and started laughing out loud at Luke as she pointed at him in his designer gray slacks, navy blue cashmere sweater, expensive black boots and stylish leather jacket, "What's this look, Luke? No backwards baseball cap? No flannel shirt? No five o'clock shadow? Did Taylor get the town to vote on a motion to change your look or was this your idea, Mom?"

"As much as I enjoy the prospect of us showing up at the Gilmore mansion looking like Onslow and Daisy in the hopes that one of my mother's neighbors spots us and causes her to have a Hyacinth Bucket meltdown, Luke insisted we look our best when make our announcement tonight."

"Spare me the 'Keeping Up Appearances' references, you know the only BBC comedy I ever watched was 'Fawlty Towers.' What special announcement are you making tonight?"

"Well, Rory I came from the doctor today and I wanted you to be the first to know … we're going to be hearing the sound of little feet pitter-pattering around the Crap Shack and I don't mean the roaches that follow Luke home from the diner every night."

"Eww – Gross! … (then, as Lorelai's message registered) Really?" Rory screamed out excitedly.

"Really!" Lorelai confirmed, her eyes twinkling as she enthusiastically nodded.

"Congratulations, you two. I'm so happy for both of you. Luke, you are going to make a terrific father!"

"Hey! What about me?" Lorelai screeched, doing her famous mock pout.

"You: not such a terrific father – but you will make one hell of a mother – again!"

They pulled into the driveway of the Gilmore mansion and Luke and Lorelai smooched before opening the door of the jeep.

"_I_ will break the news about the baby!" he firmly instructed Lorelai.

"No fair! I wanted to have fun with this. I want to wait until one of those trademark snooty comments comes slithering out of Emily Gilmore's mouth, then zap her with the news and watch her wilt with guilt. Wow! Wilt with guilt. I made a rhyme!"

"You're a poet!" Rory chimed.

"And yet I know it!"

"You two are too much! I'm in real trouble if the next fruit of your loins is another girl!" Luke grunted as he reached out to ring the door bell.


	2. Pouilly Fouisse

The latest maid meets them at the door and instructs everyone to go out to the patio for drinks. Richard greets Luke warmly and hands him a chilled Budweiser from a cooler on the patio. Emily walks out to the patio and greets Luke frostily as she spots the beer can in his hand, despite the effort he has made to look nice for the occasion.

Next, Richard starts to hand Lorelai her customary glass of white wine, but she politely declines.

" Lorelai! What's the matter with you?" Emily groused. "I'll have you know that glass of white wine you just refused is from one of the finest purveyors of Pouilly Fouisse in France, not that you would probably notice if you bothered to take a sip. You just don't seem to appreciate the effort I put into these Friday night dinners."

" Pouilly Fouisse? Wow? I deigned to turn down a glass of Pouilly Fouisse? Sounds like the missing lyrics to a Labelle song."

Lorelai and Rory start bouncing their heads up and down in unison and singing "Pouilly, Pouilly, Pouilly Fouisse! Pouilly, Pouilly, Pouilly Fouisse! CREOLE LADY MARMALADE!" Luke, who usually remains as stoic as a brick wall when Lorelai and Rory are executing their comedy routines, suddenly loses his grip and breaks out into an uncontrollable fit of laughter and the more he tries to stop, the worse it gets.

"Well, if you think an extraordinary vintage like Pouilly Fouisse is so damn funny, I guess when you come next week, I can instruct the maid to prepare a chilled carafe of Ernest and Julio to have ready for you when you arrive and it can be my turn to laugh as I watch you all slurp up that common swill, which I assume you'd prefer to the expensive wine I offered you tonight," Emily huffed.

" Mom, as much as I probably would prefer Ernie and Julie to Pouilly, Pouilly, Pouilly Fouisse, I'd have to decline that one, too."

"What are you talking about? What's going on here? " Emily demanded to know.

"Lorelai, allow me," Luke interjected, sensing Lorelai was about to let the cat out of the bag in an unceremonious fashion. He wanted to be the one to make the announcement. For as long as he could remember, Emily and Lorelai had been at each other's throats and he wanted the announcement to be a pleasant and happy occasion and not one that would evolve into yet another confrontation. He loved Lorelai dearly, but from his point of observation, at least half the arguments and fights she was involved in with Emily were her fault. He knew he would never, never, tell her that, but he still wanted to be the one to break the news about the baby tonight.

"Richard, Emily, we have an announcement to make, Lorelai and I are going to have a baby. Lorelai's two months pregnant and the baby is due in May."

"Well! This is wonderful news," Richard responded cheerfully. "I'll have the maid bring champagne for all of those who can drink, so we can make a toast."

Emily said nothing, her eyes tearing up at Luke's announcement and suddenly she saw him in a different light. She hadn't been crazy about telling the ladies at the DAR that her daughter was married to the owner of a diner, so she'd embellished and told them that he was the proprietor of an exclusive bistro in Stars Hollow, praying they'd never actually ask her for the name of the restaurant. Suddenly, with the announcement of the baby, none of this mattered anymore. It was like the fog of elitism was lifted and she, too, was able to see Luke for the wonderful, caring soul that Lorelai and Rory had known he was for all these years.

"Well this is wonderful news," Emily declared happily. "I'll expect to see this baby going to Chilton, too, and following in Rory's footsteps and, of course, we'll help with this child, too. So money's no excuse for this child not to meet high academic standards."

"Mom, please! I haven't finished paying you off for Rory's time at Chilton; I don't want to be indebted to you forever."

"Emily, we appreciate your offer to help the baby attend Chilton and Lorelai and I will discuss this with you further when the time comes," Luke said calmly, trying to diffuse what he felt was an inappropriate comment made by Lorelai.

Lorelai turned and shot darts out of her eyes at Luke, but Emily smiled warmly at Luke's words, realizing at last that he didn't bear Lorelai's perpetual spirit of combativeness and that it was going to be fun having him around, at least she could count on him being on her side at least some of the time. She had a strange and wonderful feeling that Luke was going to turn out to be like the son she never had.

After dinner, they left for Stars Hollow and Rory reflected on her grandmother's words on the ride home. It bothered her that she had said she wanted the baby to follow in her footsteps. Rory wanted the child to follow the path that felt right to him or her and right now she wasn't even sure she was on the path she had wanted to follow. She knew of course, that Emily and Richard couldn't be prouder to tell their friends and acquaintances that their granddaughter was a reporter at Forbes, but it didn't feel like the right fit to her and she wished she had other options and hoped her brother or sister was going to have the option of following the dream that felt right to them without having to feel pressured by her legacy.


	3. Chocolate Chip Pancakes

The next morning, Rory rose early to the sweet smell of coffee and pancakes wafting through the kitchen. She'd gotten out of the habit of rising late on Saturday mornings. Since she'd move to the city, she squeezed every moment of her free time into going to all the museums and libraries and parks that Manhattan offered. Sometimes she had to pinch herself that she lived in a city that offered so much culture in one place, but still it was wonderful to be home for a week. Despite its cutting edge on all things trendy, New York could never duplicate the unique quirkiness that was Stars Hollow.

"Chocolate chip pancakes!" Rory squealed with delight. "Mom's sleeping through chocolate chip pancakes?"

Luke didn't answer her. Instead he pointed at the clock, which registered seven thirty.

"Oh yeah, right. It's Saturday. She won't be opening her eyes for another four and a half hours – not even for chocolate chip pancakes," Rory commented as she gratefully took the plate, stacked with pancakes, from Luke.

"So, any big plans for today?" Luke asked.

"The biggest. I'm going to visit Lane and Zach and the twins. Wow! Sometimes it's so hard to believe that Lane is already at that stage in her life. With Lane and Zach and you mom and Sookie and Jackson having kids, I'm starting to feel left out," she chuckled.

"Take your time. You'll get there. Look how long it took me."

Rory didn't answer, she was too busy devouring her pancakes and enjoying Luke's delicious coffee. Luke handed her the morning paper and she settled in contentedly to her two favorite activities: eating and reading. She loved how Luke let her be herself and sit and read, without expecting her to constantly entertain him. He could be a quiet soul, too, and so they both understood when each other needed their down time.

She skipped the news section, which made her feel too much like she was at work, and wandered over to the life style section, scanning for local gossip, and stumbled across a story that said Mia's sister, Clarice, was in town. What's she doing here? And why would this – even in Stars Hollow – make the gossip section? Mia's been gone for a long time, she thought as she continued to read on.

It turned out that Clarice was in town, trying to scout a location for a start-up magazine about New England. The story went on to say that when she had visited Mia in Stars Hollow, she had always found it to be a charming town and that she was favoring this location as a perfect place to depict the unique, New England way of life.

Rory glanced at the newspaper wistfully. She'd almost wished that she'd seen this story before she'd graduated from Yale. She would have even traded in her valuable experience of working on the Obama campaign for a shot at being at this magazine from its inception. But the fact was, is that she did work on the Obama campaign and she was now employed at a major publication. How could she even think about giving that up for an unknown, start-up magazine? What would people say?

Little had she known, when Luke came to pour her third cup of coffee, that he had noticed her reading this article over her shoulder or that he had already read it himself, earlier that morning, or that when he had it read it, that he'd had her in mind. Knowing how the Gilmore women worked, he knew better than to suggest to either her or her mother that she'd take working for this magazine into consideration. Instead, he would speak separately to Clarice when she visited the diner, which he knew she would because she always loved coming there when Mia was in town, and let Clarice make the suggestion for him.


	4. WTF!

It was still only eight thirty and Lane wasn't expecting her to arrive until ten o'clock, so Rory decided to take a walk over to the book store to peruse their latest selections. She noticed, with excitement, that the bookstore now served coffee and had a garden in the back, where she could sit and read and slurp to her heart's delight until it was time to visit Lane.

The tables had already started filling up, so she hoped she'd get her coffee before she'd lose her spot. Finally, with cup of coffee and book in hand, she made her way over to the last free table, in the corner of the garden.

"Excuse me, Miss, but I already had that table reserved. You'll have to –"

WTF?! Rory thought angrily, who was this jerk, trying to make her think tables in a garden at the local bookstore could be reserved like a five-star restaurant? She turned to find herself standing toe to toe with Dean. For a brief moment, it reminded her of the time they'd met at Stars Hollow High School, when she'd dropped her books and had risen to face the love of her life, eye-to-eye.

"Dean!" she cried out, thoroughly shocked and having no idea how to act or respond upon seeing him unexpectedly. "Good one! Tables reserved! Bookstore! I was getting ready to lash into you big time!"

Dean couldn't stop chuckling and joined her at the table. She started chuckling, too, so hard that her face turned beet red. If they had to run into one another unexpectedly, she was glad it was driven by a moment of humor and she could tell, looking into his still laughing eyes, that he was, too. After all, the moment they had met had been humor driven when she'd made that crack about Ruth Gordon and the tannis root in "Rosemary's Baby."

"Well, I hate to break it to you – but I actually do have the right to reserve this table. I bought this place five months ago, hence, the new addition of the garden and the coffee."

"No Way!"

"Way!"

"Wow! That's like a dream business I would own, if I would have thought of it. How did you –

"Afford it? My grandfather died back in April and left me some money, the rest of it I got from a loan at the Small Business Administration. How do you like it?"

"I like it. You definitely added to the cool factor of Stars Hollow by putting in the coffee and pastries and the garden and the retro jazz music. So how has business been?"

"Great! Still haven't figured out if I'm going to keep the name of this place or change it. It's been a real trip, though, at these town meetings. If I have to hear Kirk or Taylor suggest we sell root beer flavored coffee one more time, I'm joining forces with Luke to throw them through a plate glass window.

"Wow, I miss that! I really, really, do!"

"How long you in town for?"

"A week!"

"You're in luck. They're having a meeting tomorrow night. You're welcome to be my guest."

Rory hesitated for a moment. What would the town say, if they saw her walking in with Dean? It'd be scandalous, for sure. But then she really didn't care. This town thrived on moronic drama and was probably starving for it, so she agreed to be his guest and glancing at her watch noted that it was time to leave for Lane's so she said her goodbyes. She was glad she'd have something juicy to discuss with Lane, her life in New York probably looked exciting to the outside world, but since so much of her existence there subsisted of work, work, work, she actually had not been looking forward to talking to Lane about herself – until now.


	5. Widdle Snookums

After her visit with Lane, Rory took the long way around to go home. She had so much to think about. Lane was now a wife and mother and had a successful rock band. Her mother owned a business and was married and pregnant and even Dean was a business owner! It was amazing how much life was progressing in this little village.

"Hey you!" Lorelai greeted.

"Hi Mom! I just got back from Lane's. The twins are so amazing. I can't wait 'til your baby's born."

"But you know you'll always be my favorite widdle snookums, don't you?" Lorelai cooed as she pinched Rory's cheeks and mocked her in a little baby, talky voice.

"We'll see," Rory replied, sighing and feigning exasperation. "Hey, I ran into Dean today. I didn't know he owned the bookstore now. I was very impressed. My influence must have rubbed off on him."

"Yeah, Hon. I was going to tell you, but I didn't think you'd be that interested."

"Not be interested? Mom! He was my first love. Why wouldn't I want to hear about his bookstore?"

"Uhhh – because he's not Jess?"

"Mom! That was so long ago. I am sooo over Jess – no offense to Luke!"

"None taken," Luke piped in.

"Oh yeah – that's right. I keep forgetting that you actually live here now. Note to self: Have to be reaaally careful about what we talk about from now on."

"Dinner is ready," Luke informed them in a deadpan voice.

"Ooh! Ooh! Cheeseburgers, onion rings and chili-cheese fries and lots of chocolate cake for dessert!" Rory exclaimed excitedly.

"We're having beef stew with lots of vegetables and a salad. I want your mother to eat healthy while she's carrying this baby."

"Couldn't we have both?" Lorelai protested.

"Here!" he grunted as he handed her a bowl of stew.

"So I hear there's a town meeting tomorrow. Dean asked me to come with him."

"Wow! You sure you want to do that, Ror?" Lorelai responded.

"Why wouldn't I want to go with him?"

"Oh, I don't know. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy tries to get girl back, boy loses girl! I thought this ride was over, Rory."

"Cut it out, Mom! All he did was ask me to the town meeting. It's not like a real date or anything."

"That might not be the way he sees it. Him getting a business like that, seems like he might be getting to the point in his life where he wants to get serious with somebody. I'd be careful if I were you."

"Come on, Mom. I don't think it's anything like that."

"Just be careful. I frankly don't want to see either one of you getting hurt. "

"Okay, I think I'll go read my new book now. I didn't get a chance to at the bookstore because Dean was at my table and I –

"Goodnight, hon."

"Night, Mom. Night, Luke."


	6. Yankee Dandy

The next day, Luke was happy to see that his plans with Mia's sister, Clarice, were beginning to take shape. She had wandered into the diner with her lap top and her note pads and planted herself at a table, asking Luke to keep the coffee coming.

"Well, hello, Clarice. How's the hunt for space going for your new magazine?"

"Hi, Luke. It's great to see you again. Unfortunately, at the moment, not so great. I was hoping to find something right around this part of town, in the heart of things. I'd rather not be located further out on the edge of town, it kind of takes the edge off of what I'm trying to accomplish with this magazine. "

"Maybe I can help."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I think I know about some space that might be opening up real soon. It's just that the landlord might have some … I don't know… conditions."

"Do tell," Clarice responded, excited about the space, but bracing herself for the strings attached.

Luke went on to tell her about the space next to his diner opening up, Taylor had rented the space for years, but he was now looking to pour his endeavors into an all you can eat German beer garden to compete with the Stars Hollow Chinese buffet palace across town, so he wouldn't be renewing his lease for the soda shop. Luke told Clarice that he had other offers for the space (not quite true) but that he might be persuaded to put Clarice at the head of the line if she would consider hiring Rory for her magazine. He also asked her not to tell Rory that he'd put in a word for or to even consider it a real interview. Rather, he'd hope the two could meet informally and that she could make Rory an offer without the pretense of an interview. At that point, it'd be up to Rory. Luke went on to explain that he thought the magazine was perfect for Rory, but that he'd be hesitant to suggest it to her directly because he didn't want her to think he was interfering with her life.

Clarice thought Luke's suggestion to interview Rory without her knowing she was being interviewed was extremely odd, but from what he'd told her about Rory's background, she really liked her credentials and desperately wanted the space next to the diner and decided she had nothing to lose if she played along. After all, if Rory wasn't interested in working for the magazine, she would still be able to rent the space because she had abided by Luke's request to meet with her and make the offer.

Luke decided he needed to get Rory in the diner, without Lorelai, so he asked Clarice to stay put and that he'd try to reach her to come in.

" Hello? "

" Hi, Rory. Hope I'm not bothering you. Sorry I didn't make you the cheese burgers or fries for you last night. I know you look forward to having that when you come home. It's just that I'm trying to minimize the junk food while you're mom's pregnant. Since your mom's working today, if you want to come in for lunch, I'd be happy to make all that for you."

" Ooh! Ooh! And lots of chocolate cake for dessert?"

" As much as you want."

" Yaaay! I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

" It'll be ready as soon as you get here."

He went over to Clarice's table and poured her more coffee and brought her a complimentary cherry Danish. She smiled and looked through her notes, trying to prepare her selling points for the magazine for Rory.

Fifteen minutes later, Rory showed up all smiles, toting her new novel, getting ready to settle in to read her book as she waited to chow down on the cheese burger and chili cheese fries. Instead, Luke ushered her over to Clarice's table for an introduction.

" Rory, there's someone here I think you'd like to meet. This is Clarice, Mia's sister. She's in town and she's thinking about starting up a magazine here."

" Oh, wow! Oh, yes! Mia's sister. I can't believe the resemblance! Wait! Have I met you before?"

" Yes, I believe you did. I remember you from the inn. You were about six, maybe seven and you were living in the potting shed behind the Independence Inn and Mia had brought me over to see you and your mother. You were such a beautiful little girl and now you're gorgeous women. So what have you been doing with yourself Ms. Gilmore?"

Rory settled in at the table and proceeded to tell her about the house they'd move into after they'd left the inn, her time at Chilton, her love of writing, her time on the paper at Yale and brought her up-to-date with tales of the Obama campaign and her current job at Forbes.

Clarice drank it all in as she downed her fourth cup of coffee. She loved Rory's enthusiasm and the professionalism she seemed to project. She glanced with amusement at the novel she was toting with her, always the trademark of a dedicated writer. She knew Rory was more than qualified for the magazine, not only because of her experience and education, but because she had grown up in Stars Hollow and New England and that's what she needed for the magazine. Not some over eager mid-westerner or an elitist New Yorker. It had to be someone with actual, small town, New England roots.

"Well, you certainly have been a busy lady. Your writing career is very impressive. I just wish I could find someone that impressive for my magazine. "

"What kind of magazine are you starting up?" Rory asked. She had already read the article about the magazine, but she didn't want to appear overly eager.

"It'll be a magazine for New Englanders and for everyone else that would like to learn about what it's like to be a New Englander. The unofficial name for the magazine is 'The Yankee Dandy Scribe.' It'll feature the architecture of some of New England's finer homes, travel, restaurants, recipes, weather, landscape photography, interviews with ordinary folks and celebrities alike, and of course, the occasional politics. It wouldn't just be about Stars Hollows, but we thought it would lend a level of quaintness and familiarity for the reader to use Stars Hollows as the magazine's launching point and we'll have a section in each issue that features a 'From the Editor's desk in Stars Hollow'."

"We?"

"Yes, I represent a magazine group in New York. We want the magazine to be based out of Stars Hollow to give it that authentic feel, but the publishing group is in New York. There's a lot of power backing this project. I'm not really at liberty to say who the publishing group is, nor for the most part would it matter for the magazine's editor. With today's technology, most of what needs to be done could take place here in town."

Rory gulped, this was much bigger than she had realized - perhaps an even bigger opportunity than her spot at Forbes. When she'd first read the article in the Stars Hollow Gazette, she'd thought it was a small town magazine with a readership of a few thousand at best, not a major periodical that Clarice was so vividly depicting. She hated cutting off all ties to New York, but this sounded like an opportunity and a half and it would give her a perfect excuse to come back to Stars Hollow in an employment role that befitted her experience and education and the work sounded much more rewarding than her job at Forbes.

"So, this group in New York, would they expect to meet with the editor from time to time?"

Clarice knew exactly where Rory was heading with this and assured her that the editor would make trips to New York at various times; sometimes for short meetings and other times for overnight stays, as well as extensive travel throughout New England. She was smart enough to know that once Rory heard that, that she'd probably leap at the chance to work at the magazine as their editor.

"Well, Rory, I've enjoyed this conversation with you and I hope I haven't deceived you, too much."

" Huh??"

" Well, I've heard from various townspeople about your stellar credentials and that you were in town and I decided to camp out here in the diner today and I couldn't have been happier when you came in because I did so want to meet you and tell you about the magazine. I actually hope you'll think about taking the spot at the magazine as our editor, let me tell you it would get things rolling and make my life a whole lot easier."

Rory hesitated for a moment; she couldn't believe how quickly this opportunity was coming her way. Then she reflected on the time Mia had come to her mother's rescue and perhaps she could repay that favor indirectly by accepting Clarice's officer.

"Well, usually I would take a while to mull over a proposition such as this, but I really don't think that's necessary this time. Clarice, I would love to accept this wonderful opportunity to be the editor of 'The Yankee Dandy Scribe'."

"That's wonderful, Rory!"

Rory beamed from ear to ear. It felt good to be an adult and to make a decision right on the spot without hesitating or resorting to her infamous "pros and cons" list.

"This opportunity means so much to me, Clarice. I can't believe I get the chance to work with Mia's sister. She was so good to me and my mother. I'll never forget her kindness as long as I live."

"Speaking of your mother, I would love to see her while I'm in town."

"Hey, there's a town meeting tonight. You can see her and all the cast of town characters. Would you like to join me?"

"That would be wonderful and I think very beneficial to the magazine to get the flavor of a Stars Hall town meeting. What time should I meet you there?'

"Seven o'clock. "

"See ya then!"

Luke wandered over to Clarice's table to get an update on her progress with Rory.

"Well, I got myself an editor for the magazine and I'm ready to sign that lease Mr. Landlord!"

"This is great, Clarice! You won't be sorry that you hired Rory, I can guarantee you that!"

"I should get going. I'll see you at the town meeting tonight. Would you like me to come back by the diner after the meeting to sign the lease?"

"Sure that'd be terrific. I'll see you tonight!"


	7. Idiot!

No sooner had Rory left, did she realize she never actually got her cheeseburger or her chili fries. It then began to dawn on her that Luke was probably the "various townspeople" who had told Mia about her credentials and, in his excitement, he'd probably forgotten to make the food for her. It was just as well, she was glad she didn't have chili cheese sauce dripping from the corner of her mouth while Clarice was assessing her for the largest opportunity of her life.

Next thing she realized was that she'd told Dean that she meeting him for the town meeting and now she'd invited Clarice to join her. "Idiot!" she muttered under her breath.

She walked over to the bookstore to inform Dean about the last minute change. She was not looking forward to it. Of all the many pros she could write about Dean on her list, the one con would always include his reaction to last minute changes, perhaps because it flew in the face of his own extreme reliability.

"Hey, Dean!"

"Rory!"

"I just wanted to come by and tell you there's been an unexpected change for tonight's plans."

Dean looked at her, speechless and frowned, just like he'd always done before and then he burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I was just having a flashback to all those times when I'd get upset at your last minute announcements and I have to admit my temper tantrums look pretty ridiculous now. If you don't want to come with me to tonight's meeting, it's no big deal. I would like to see you at least once before you leave, but that's your call."

"No, Dean. You don't understand…"

Dean started snickering again – that was a refrain he'd heard from Rory many, many times.

"Dean, I'm serious. I'm meeting Mia's sister, Clarice, at the meeting. It's actually work related. She's offered me a job at her new magazine and I'm going to get to work here in Stars Hollow. She wants to go to the town meeting with me to get a flavor of the community."

"Then you'd better bring along the Pepto Bismol and pray she doesn't change her mind about Stars Hollow after getting a load of those characters."

"Funny! Say, did you eat, yet?

"No, not yet! We sell sandwiches here. I was going to have Shane whip be up a BLT Panini for me, would you like one, too?"

"Shane works here, for you?"

"Yeah, Shane's started working at the book store about a month before I bought the place. I wasn't going to fire her just because she had the bad taste to date Jess - oops! Sorry, no offense!" he laughed. "Do you still want a BLT, even if Shane's making it?"

"Fine, fine. I'll take the risk of eating a sandwich made by a bleached blonde bimbo, gum smacking beeaach, who fantasizes she's a Marilyn Monroe for the new millennium."

"Well, Hellooo Kitty!" Dean laughed. "Find us a table and I'll bring you a saucer of milk."

Dean was getting to be quite the jokester in his old age and Rory liked it. If food and reading were her two favorite things in life, her third favorite thing was laughter. Jess always held the cards in that department, but Dean was beginning to gain an edge on him.

She told him she'd see him briefly at the town hall meeting, but that she knew Clarice was probably going to monopolize her time, so they made plans for dinner on Tuesday night.


	8. Crab Meat Spring Rolls

Dean took in the news about Rory accepting the offer in town. Just when he thought he'd be moving on with his life, up popped Rory again. He'd take her out to the obligatory welcome home dinner, but the next move was up to her. He was enjoying life for the first time in a very long time and didn't need any excessive drama to ruin that.

That Tuesday, they drove to Hartford for Thai food. It was Rory's self declared new favorite ethnic cuisine.

"You like Thai food?" Rory asked.

"It's okay. I guess I'll probably just order the shrimp pad Thai.

"Oh come on! Try something new. I'm going to get the lamb with red curry sauce and jasmine rice. You can have some of mine."

"See any appetizers you'd like?"

"Mmm… the crab meat spring rolls look delicious. We should try those."

"Sounds good."

The waitress came to take their order and in addition to the entrées and the appetizer, he ordered a carafe of red wine from Thailand.

"Ooh! I have the biggest news – I forgot to tell you the other day."

"What is it?" Dean asked bluntly, knowing that anything was capable of flying out of Rory Gilmore's mouth.

"My mom and Luke. They're having a baby in May."

"That's wonderful, Rory. Tell them I said congratulations!"

As the food arrived, Rory shared the story of the Pouilly Fouisse incident at her grandparents and they had a good laugh together. Dean began to wonder if they wouldn't be having their own child right about now if they'd stay together and then he thought about how career driven Rory was and dismissed it as very unlikely. He was still skeptical, despite the news that Rory was returning to Stars Hollow, that they'd have much of chance for a future together, but he'd enjoy this evening while it lasted.


	9. Narco Groupie

"Good morning, my little Narco Boy groupie. Coffee?"

"Mom, I can't believe you still refer to Dean as Narco Boy after all these years. Hey you're not supposed to be drinking coffee now!"

"Never you mind, child. It's all for you. Drink up! Just be warned, without my coffee and my junk food and these pregnancy hormones coursing through my veins, I'm making everyone's life torture. Even Michel's afraid of me these days."

"Wow! I didn't think Michel was afraid of anything."

"Oh yeah! Well, he's afraid of me now and I am milking this cow while I got it."

"Ew, gross!"

"Speaking of milk, Luke is loving these," Lorelai said as she pointed to her swelling breasts.

"Grosser!"

"Have you given your notice to work yet?"

"I think I'll wait until I get back to New York. I think it's better that I give them my notice in person.

"I am so excited! The timing couldn't have been better. Your baby sister or your brother gets to grow up with you. Yay!"

"So am I, Mom. Even though I had to take the long way around to do it, it'll be so good to be living in Stars Hollow again."

"Ooh! Ooh! You don't have to tell Grandma for awhile. That way you can get of those Friday night dinners. Wish I could be you. Not to change the subject, but how was your date with Dean?"

"No fireworks or anything, but it was fun."

"I'm sorry, baby," she said mock pouting and patting Rory's head like she was a puppy.

"It's okay, Mom! We're not sixteen anymore. Life goes on. I've learned not to expect too much in the romance department anymore. I'm going to give Clarice a call to confirm my start date so I'll know what to tell them at work when I get back."


	10. No Room at the Inn

Rory finally had her start date for "The Yankee Dandy Scribe": three weeks from the following Monday. In the meantime, Clarice had asked her to meet her on Wednesday morning to give her the town tour. Rory winced, thinking of the encounters they'd likely have on the way with Kirk, Taylor and Miss Patty and so many others. She'd work in a stop to see her mother's inn and Dean's bookstore so that the tour would have some element of normalcy.

Mia had asked Rory to meet her at Luke's at eight thirty for breakfast and as she approached the diner, she could see through the window that the town's folk were already lining up to introduce themselves.

"Let the fun begin, " Rory muttered under her breath.

"So exciting to see you again," Miss Patty said to Clarice. "You must give Mia my love and I'll hope you'll consider my idea for writing a sex advice column for your magazine. You can ask anyone in town and I'm sure they'll tell you I'm the most qualified for the job. "

"Well, we'll see," Clarice responded uncomfortably.

"Hold it right there, toots!" Babette yelled out at Miss Patty.

"Excussse me!?"

"You heard me, Miss Patty! Where do you get off telling Clarice that you're the most qualified person in Stars Hollow to write a sex column when you know I got just as much experience as you, maybe more?"

"Oh, you think so, do you?"

"Have you ever had sex on a moving escalator?"

"Pleaasse! That's for amateurs!"

"The Concorde?"

"Many, many times!"

"Al's Pancake World?"

"Al's Pancake World? Now we could be talking about some competition!" Miss Patty mused, as she and Babette walked out of Luke's diner, forgetting all about Clarice and the magazine.

"You wanted Stars Hollows and you got Stars Hollows," Rory chuckled as she joined Clarice at the table.

"Yes, something tells me that. Remind me to never, ever eat at Al's Pancake World."

Next, it was Kirk's turn to introduce himself.

"Hello, Clarice, my name's Kirk. I conduct myself in many matters of business here in the township of Stars Hollow: floral deliveries, video rentals, rodent extermination, mold inspections, writing pornographic fortune cookie messages, cat walking, gerbil sitting, and many other endeavors too numerous to enumerate, but my most important achievement thus far is the cinematic contribution I have made in creating a movie which is featured yearly at our Stars Hollow annual film festival. Anyway, it would be a great honor if you would consider giving me the opportunity to work as a photographer for your very prestigious magazine."

"Kirk! " Rory screamed. "There is no such thing as a Stars Hollow annual film festival. They only show one movie every year: 'The Yearling.' And the only reason Taylor agrees to show your video before the movie starts is because you agree to work for free that day for him at Doose's market. The magazine already has photographers and I don't think 'A film by Kirk,' which is like a how to manual for 'The Theater of the Absurd, is exactly qualification material for a major national publication."

"Kirk, I'm afraid Rory's right. That we already have photographers, that is. But the magazine will have a photo contest featured in every issue. I would love it if you'd consider submitting your work for the contest."

"It would be my ultimate honor. Now if you excuse me, mother and Lulu have asked me to bring them these glazed donuts and I don't think they'd appreciate being kept waiting."

"Wow! You were so nice to him. That reminds me of how Mia would have handled his bizarreness."

"Well, we've both tried to follow the golden rule. I'd like to think that's what's made us both successful business women so far."

Next, in walked Taylor. Rory knew Clarice was going to get the full treatment of Stars Hollow today. Word had gotten around that there was a media celebrity in town and everyone wanted a piece of the action. It reminded her of an episode of Andy Griffith, where everyone wanted to be in a movie about the town. It seemed like everyone was coming into Luke's today, except Floyd the Barber.

"Clarice, so good to see you! Listen, I was hoping we could talk later. You, know mano a womano, about doing a photo spread of Stars Hollow. I have a lot of ideas for the magazine, we could start by doing a highlight of my up and coming German beer garden. I'm going to call it 'Der Big Weiner Garten.' Your readers will love it. Just love it!"

"That sounds …. interesting, Taylor. Yes … we'll talk later," Clarice responded, rolling her eyes behind his back.

" Golden rule, Clarice. Golden rule!" Rory reminded her.

"Well, you're right about the bizarreness, Rory. But I really find them more amusing than irritating, and their colorfulness is going to be a great inspiration for the magazine."

"If you're looking for a town with colorfulness, you're going to get a whole kaleidoscope here. I thought maybe we could start today by going to my mom's inn, 'The Dragonfly'."

"Oh, yes. I would love to see it."

" Hello, Rory. Hello, Clarice. How's the big tour going?"

"It's only nine thirty and we've already seen Miss Patty, Babette, Kirk, and Taylor. I thought I'd bring Clarice to your inn to prove Stars Hollow isn't a complete bizarro world. "

"Uh, well – okay! "Lorelai stammered. With Michel, Sookie and Rune lurking in the background, she knew anything was possible and she hoped they'd be on their best behavior today, in front of Rory's future boss.

The next thing they heard was Michel's voice on the phone and Lorelai knew the challenges at the inn were already starting for the day.

"Noooo, we do not have eny thing, kind lady. I have already told you we are booked for de month. Nooo, there es nothing. No…. wait, let me see. Ah yes, let me check for you. I see we have de Johnny Mathis suite ah-vay-able on de twelvh of neh-ver. Shall I hold it for you? Yes? We'll see you den. Yes. Thank you. Goodbye," he growled as he slammed the phone down. "Stooped, stooped, peepel!"

"Oh, I know that voice!" Clarice exclaimed with amusement.

"So do I. Michel!" Lorelai called out running to the front desk, trying to head him off before he said something nasty to Clarice.

"Michel! I'm so glad to see you. You're looking very debonair, as always!" Clarice greeted.

"As do you, my lovely lady, enchante," he murmured as he took her wrist and gently kissed her hand.

"Merci beau coup, monsieur," she responded.

"Parlez vous francais, mon cheri?"

"Oui!"

As the two of them started conversing in French, Lorelai escorted Rory in the kitchen to find Sookie. Rory looked at her in alarm, fearful to leave Clarice alone in Michel's company.

"It's okay, hon," Lorelai said, trying to reassure her. "Apparently they're quite friendly and even if they weren't, how would we know? They're speaking French."

"Sookie! Guess who's here?"

"Who, Lorelai?" she responded enthusiastically.

"Mia's sister, Clarice. She's offered Rory a job as an editor at the magazine the whole town's buzzing about."

"Oh, that's so exciting, Rory. I have an idea. Why don't you bring her back here for lunch? I'm starting my fall menu today. I'm making quiches with gruyere cheese and bacon and my famous autumn salad with walnuts, golden apples and herb goat cheese and a warm balsamic dressing."

"Clarice! It's so good to see you," Sookie gurgled.

"And you, too, Sookie. You and Lorelai have a splendid inn."

"I just told Rory you two should come back here later for lunch today."

"Thank you, Sookie. I'm looking forward to it. I haven't forgotten what a fabulous chef you are."

"Well,' bye everyone, we're going to tour the rest of the town now."

"Don't forget to show Clarice the giant slinky!" Sookie yelled after them.

After lunch at the inn, the final stop on their tour was Dean's bookstore. Rory thought Clarice would enjoy having a cappuccino in the garden and listening to the music.

"Please don't let me down, Dean," Rory thought as they strolled into the bookstore.


	11. SpongeBob

Before they got their coffee, Rory scanned the store for Dean, but he was nowhere to be found.

"He's not here, Rory!" Shane spat out nastily from behind the coffee counter.

"Did I say I was looking for Dean?

"No, you didn't have to. Word's around town you're moving back here. I hope you're not planning on trying to mess him up again. He's as happy as he's been in years, not that it would matter to you."

"Clarice, this woman's obviously deranged. I apologize for her behavior. If you'd like, we can go back to my house for some coffee."

"What's going on here?" Dean asked, suddenly materializing from the other side of the door.

"Dean, I think you'd better talk to your help about they wait they treat the customers. Shane is being very rude and I brought Clarice here today to introduce you to her, but we're leaving now."

"No, wait. Why don't you two go out to the garden and get a table. Let me know what you want. It's my treat."

"As tempting as that sounds, I don't think free food and coffee is that valuable a treat if we have to worry about someone spitting in it."

"Oh, my!" Clarice exclaimed, feigning shock at Rory's comment. She was actually on the verge of laughter. She was going to love being in Stars Hollow. There was never a moment where a drama wasn't in progress and she found each and every one to be hilarious.

Dean was on the verge of laughter, too, but he could tell Rory was upset and decided to smooth her ruffled feathers.

"I'll take care of the coffee and the pastries and the 'help.' Please, you two, go and relax in the garden."

Rory escorted Clarice to the garden. She was exhausted from touring the town and had hoped to just wind the day down by relaxing at the bookstore. She couldn't believe how Shane had embarrassed her, the last thing she wanted to do was make a bad impression on Clarice today.

Dean joined them a few minutes later in the garden with cappuccinos and mini éclairs and biscotti.

"I'm so sorry, both of you. I told Rory the other day that Shane was already working here a few months ago when I bought the place. I didn't have the heart to let her go, but looks like I might have to rethink that."

Rory knew Clarice's eyes were on her and so were her words about what she'd said earlier about the golden rule, so instead of jumping up down and yelling "Yay! Yay! Yay!", like she wanted to, she opted for the higher road.

"Oh, Dean. I don't think it should come to her losing her job, but I would like a sincere apology to myself and Clarice. "

Clarice looked over at Rory and smiled. She thought her response showed compassion and good judgment, just the qualities she wanted for her someone running her magazine.

"You got it," Dean replied as he disappeared to go have a talk with Shane.

"Yeah, I said that. Listen, Dean there's things you don't know. Or that you do know. You do know that she broke up me and Jess and that she left you for him when she broke us up. But what you don't know is how mean she was to me. It wasn't my fault Jess asked me out and instead of confronting him about it, she took it out on me. She came into the beauty supply shop one day and almost bit my head off because she overheard me on the phone with Jess. No, Dean. I am NOT apologizing. I'll quit before I do that."

"No, Shane, don't quit. But please don't act that way again. If she ever comes in and mistreats you, like she did at the beauty shop, let me know and I'll handle it," he replied. He could see that Shane had been harboring hurt from her days with Jess and Rory and decided to let the matter slide. "Why don't you take the rest of the afternoon off so you can spend some time with little Stevie? Don't worry; I'll pay you for the rest of the day."

"So, no apology?" Rory asked impatiently.

"Well, I forgot it was the end of her shift. But don't worry, this matter will be dealt with," Dean lied.

"Well, Dean," Clarice spoke. "I know our time here at the bookstore got off to a bumpy start, but you have a very lovely place and the garden is such a nice touch. I think you're going to do very well with your business here and you can count me in as a frequent customer. "

"That's great, Clarice. I've really enjoyed meeting you today, welcome to Stars Hollow."

"Well, thank you, Dean."

"If you'll excuse me, ladies, I have to get back out front. The person who was supposed to take over for Shane's shift didn't make a showing so I need to help out."

Rory wanted to make a comment that she wasn't surprised that Shane hadn't offered to stay for a second shift to help out, but she figured she'd better not say that in front of Clarice, so she kept it to herself.

"Rory, I want to thank for a very lovely, lovely day. I just know we're going to make a terrific team. I'd like to meet with you on Friday to go over some preliminary details and set your expectations for work when you come back in three weeks. Are you excited?"

"Like you wouldn't believe. The whole time I was growing up in Stars Hollow, I always thought someone should write a book about this town. Little did know I'd grow up and actually be a part of a magazine about this place. Thank you again, Clarice, for this wonderful opportunity."

"No! Thank you, Rory. You're a terrific guide and I know you'll make a terrific editor. I'll call you on Thursday to set the meeting time for Friday. 'Bye now!"

"Bye!"

Rory waited until Clarice was well out of sight before she approached Dean about the earlier incident with Shane.

"Why didn't Shane apologize to us before she left?" Rory demanded.

"Rory, I already told you she left for the day."

"I saw you two talking when I went to the ladies room."

"You're right, Rory. We did talk, but she told me what you did to her when she worked at the beauty shop and after the way you put her down when you came in here on Saturday, my tendency is to believe she was probably telling the truth. You hurt her feelings when she was dating Jess and I guess she thought it was payback time."

"Well, that's just fine. If that's the way you feel, then I won't bother to come back to your stupid –

"Dean, I came back to get my paycheck! Little Stevie and I are going to the movies!"

Rory froze on the spot when she saw the little boy with her. He looked like a mini-me version of Jess. She knew Shane would probably bite her head off, but she just had to know how old he was.

"This is your little boy? Wow he's so cute. How old is?"

"He just turned eight," Shane said, beaming from ear-to-ear, appreciating Rory's compliment. Stevie was the love of her life and she had a warm spot for anyone who paid attention to and complimented him.

"He's just so adorable, Shane. I can tell you're a wonderful mother to him. Hey I'm sorry about before, you know, my snotty comments at the beauty shop, the dance marathon, etc., etc., etc. I'm sure I had it coming today."

"Forget about it; we were both a lot younger then. Things happen. Say, Stevie and I are on our way to a SpongeBob marathon. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure! When Sookie's kids came along, SpongeBob became one of my secret, guilty pleasures."

Dean watched them leave and cast a look of amusement at Rory that she knew meant he was happy, but that he'd also hoped she'd be on her best behavior. He knew full well Stevie was Jess' son and he assumed by Rory's question about his age that she'd figured it out, too.


	12. Mr Peanut

The rest of the week went by quickly and the rest of her time at Forbes even quicker.

Her office good bye party was held at the Gotham Bar and Grill and she could have never dreamed that she'd be leaving her job only six months after she'd started and was truthfully relieved.

Her only real friend at the office was Janelle Parker and she'd invited her to visit her when she'd settled into her own place in Stars Hollow and Janelle told her she was welcome to come see her in the city anytime she wanted. Janelle also asked her to keep her in mind if anything opened up at the Dandy. She'd started at Forbes the same time Rory did and her major in college had been Creative Writing and she felt as out of place at the magazine as Rory had.

On the train ride home to Stars Hollow, Rory started thinking again about the lives of everyone in town: Her pregnant mother, Sookie and Lane with their children and the news that Shane was the mother of Jess' little boy. Suddenly she thought of Dean and realized that out of all the men she'd dated, he was honestly the only man she'd met who she felt would make a good father for her future children. She sighed as she stared out the window, wondering if he'd ever had similar thoughts to hers.

Luke came to pick her up at the station; he explained Lorelai had an appointment at the obstetrician. He was very excited because Lorelai was getting her sonogram today.

"Hey guys!" Lorelai greeted when Rory and Luke walked through the door. "Come take a look at Mr. Peanut," she said enthusiastically as she held up the sonogram picture.

"Aww … it's so cute!" Rory said as she examined the photo.

"'It's' has a name!"

"Really? What's it's…. What's the name?"

"Paul Anka!"

"Lorelai. We are not going to confuse the dog by naming the baby after him. Pick something else, please," Luke said.

"Ooh! I hear it's very popular now to name your children after cartoon characters. How 'bout Pebbles for a girl and Bam-Bam if it's a boy?"

"Nah. I think the whole cartoon baby naming thing went out when Gwyneth Paltrow named her first born baby 'Apple'," he responded.

"Apple could work. Or peach. Or coconut…." Lorelai mused.

"I think you better stick with 'Mr. Peanut' for now," Luke replied, playing along with her silliness.

"What healthy, non-junk food meal, are we partaking of this evening?" Rory asked.

"Broiled tilapia; brown rice; steamed spinach," Luke answered.

"Gross!" Lorelai and Rory both said at the same time.

"Pizza?" Lorelai asked playfully.

"Pizza!" Rory confirmed.

"No pizza!" Luke replied in vain.

"Yes, pizza. If I have to eat broiled fish and steamed spinach I'm going to hurl and I'm doing enough of that already these days," Lorelai declared.

"Yay! Pizza!" Rory cheered enthusiastically.

"I don't stand a chance against you two. God, I hope this baby's going to be a boy."

"Rory, Dean called this morning," Lorelai announced.

"Great! I'll call him after we eat."

"Sure you don't want to call him now?"

"No that's okay, I can wait. I'm can't focus on having a conversation when I have fresh, hot pizza on the brain."


	13. Vortex of Insanity

"Hi, Dean!"

"Rory. So you're officially back in Stars Hollow?"

"I am! I am!"

"Well that's great. I just wanted to call and welcome you back to the vortex of insanity."

"My father says he's convinced Stars Hollow is an outpatient facility for mental patients."

"Your father's got it pegged right. Hey listen, how'd you like me to come by and pick you up in a little bit? We could go to the movies or something."

"Or something."

"Or something."

"Okay, Dean! Just give me about a half hour to get ready."

A half hour later, Rory heard the doorbell ring and ran out of her room to greet Dean at the front door, but Lorelai beat her to the punch.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Narco Boy? What are your intentions, young man? You're not stealing my daughter for the evening so you can take her to Miss Patty's for another nap are you?"

"Well, if we feel the overwhelming urge to take a nap, I think we can skip Miss Patty's and go to my bookstore."

"Oh, yeah. But those floor mats in Miss Patty's dance studio are pretty comfortable. Or, so I've heard."

"Congratulations, by the way. Rory told me you and Luke are expecting a baby. I think that's great! Have you all thought of any names, yet?"

"We don't want to open that can of worms again," Luke interjected.

"For now the baby's name is 'Mr. Peanut,' but if you have any other suggestions, feel free to let us know," Lorelai replied, showing him the picture of the sonogram.

"Come on, Dean. Let's get out of the vortex before it sucks us in."

"Good night ,Lorelai and Luke. It was nice seeing you again."

"Night, hon."


	14. What Are Your Intentions, Young Man?

"Got any movies you want to see?" Dean asked.

"Not really. Anytime I think about going to the movies, they're basically showing junk. Why don't we go walk around town and hang out at the gazebo, you know, like we used to do?"

"All right."

Rory and Dean stopped off at his bookstore and picked up a couple of lattes and some chocolate chip cookies and wandered over to the gazebo.

"These cookies are delicious, Dean!"

"Well, they should be. Sookie made them."

"Sookie made them?

" Well, yeah. She's started a sideline making pastries for businesses in town."

"Who would have thought there'd come a day when I'd be sitting in the Stars Hollow Gazebo, eating chocolate chip cookies that Sookie made for your business? What a small world we live in!"

"Yeah, small world is right. Speaking of which, how'd it go with Shane the other day at the movies?"

"Oh, fine. I think we may actually be friends now. I guess after spending time with her, I can see why Jess asked her out, but I don't think he probably treated her as well as he should have when they were dating. Even so, I just can't believe she didn't tell Jess he was Stevie's father."

"Well, I think she realized he probably wasn't going to be in a position to help her take care of him. I mean, did he even finish high school? Also, he broke up with her before she knew she was pregnant. So when she found out, she decided not to tell him – she didn't think he deserved to know after the way he treated her. She moved away from Stars Hollow and went and stayed with her aunt, then she came back about six months ago when her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer, that's why no one in town really knows that it's Jess' baby. I'd appreciate it you kept it to yourself. I know that since Luke is your stepfather now, you might be tempted to tell him, but I'd rather you didn't. Shane's been through enough and I think she'd just like to find a nice normal father for her child without any problems from Jess. Do I have your word you won't tell anyone, not even your mother?"

"Don't worry, Dean, I won't say anything. Don't forget, my mom had to raise me without a father and I think if she'd been in the same situation as Shane, she probably wouldn't have told him about me either."

"Thanks, Rory. Not to change the subject, but…" he murmured as he leaned in to kiss her.

"Whoa! What _are_ your intentions, young man?"

"Rory!"

"I mean it. I need to know now, Dean. Do you still love me or did you just come and get me because you were feeling a little horny tonight and you wanted to let off some steam?"

"I don't believe this, Rory. I had no idea you were still putting together pro and cons lists."

"Dean, I'm going to tell you one thing right now. I still love you, but I don't want to play any games. I've always been a planner; I think that's why I've always basically sucked at this romance business. I really can't stand to operate my life in a wait-and-see mode. If you want us to start dating again, your intentions better be for something permanent. Otherwise, let me know and I'm moving on and crossing this off my 'to do' list."

"Rory," he laughed. "You don't have to sell me. That's all I've ever wanted, too. But just to seal the deal, let's go pick out on an engagement ring."

"Now?"

"Now!" He knew even when Rory had the best of intentions, she could be as fickle as her mother and he needed proof that she meant what she said before he wasted any more precious years of his life.

"Okay!" she smiled as he grabbed her by the hand and led her to the town jewelry store.

It took her no time to pick out the ring she wanted, an exquisite pear diamond ring with a pink gold band.

"Okay, Mr. Forester, you called my bluff. Now I'm going to call yours. Let's get married tomorrow."

"Well, okay," he gulped, not that he minded, but he never dreamed he could hope to have Rory be his wife so quickly.

"We'll invite Lane and Zach, Sookie, Jackson, my mom, Luke, Babette, Miss Patty, Clarice, my dad, Gigi, your parents, Clara, my grandparents and we can have a wedding brunch at the inn. Taylor's a justice of the peace so that's not a problem, I'm sure he'll do it for us. I suppose I'll even allow weirdo Kirk to take the pictures."

"Your grandparents? Maybe we should invite Jess and Paris, too, and for good measure – let's throw in Lane's mother, Rune and Michel and put them all together in the front row. "

"Um - just kidding about that part! Major potential unpleasantness. We'll tell my grandparents later."

"Okay, then. I guess I'd better take you home so you can tell your mother and start making phone calls. But before I do, can I get that kiss?"

"I guess it'll be okay now since you just bought me this incredibly expensive ring."

Rory managed to get ahold of everyone that evening and to her delight, everyone was free to attend their nuptials. Lorelai offered Rory her bridal gown from her wedding to Luke. Rory was never more grateful that she and Lorelai were the same size and that her mother had such fantastic taste in clothing. She thought she was in a dream as she tried it on. It was a strapless white gown with a delicate lace bodice and a lace veil that matched the bodice. To complete the ensemble, there were matching white elbow gloves and Lorelai told her she would help her with her hair and makeup in the morning.


	15. Sunrise, Sunset

Rory tossed and turned all night long, but eventually she closed her eyes and surrendered to sleep. Suddenly, she opened her eyes to broad daylight and the blare of Billy Idol's "White Wedding," followed by "Sunrise, Sunset," from "Fiddler on the Roof," coming from her CD player.

"Ay, yi, yi, yi!" Rory muttered, burying her head in the pillow.

"Up! Up! Up! Rory! You can't sleep through your wedding day," Lorelai said as she popped up in "Going to the Chapel," into the CD player.

"What time is it?"

"Seven o'clock."

"I think I can squeeze in another hour. Can you wake me at eight?"

"Come on, Rory. If I let you go back to sleep now, you're never going to get up and besides, I want to spend as much time with you as I can with you today before the wedding. I can't believe you'll be living in Narco Boy's house tonight."

"Well, I guess the timing's good. You'll want to be fixing up Mr. Peanut's nursery pretty soon."

"Is that why you're doing this?"

"Yep. You got me. I knew you needed this room for Peanut, so by golly I decided it was a good time to trick Dean into marrying me so I could make that happen."

"Come on, Rory. No cutes and funnies right now. You shocked the hell out of me and Luke and I'm sure just about everyone else on your invite list. Why the sudden wedding? I've never known you to do anything this impulsive in your life. It'd be believable if I did it, but I'm still shaking my head that Rory Gilmore would do something like this. Oh yeah, I guess I did do that – in Paris, with your father."

"I started doing a lot of thinking about my life when I came to Stars Hollow a few weeks ago. And actually this isn't the first impulsive thing I've done in my life. The first impulsive thing I did was to take the job with the magazine right on the spot when Clarice offered me the job at Luke's diner. The old Rory would have needed at least a week to weigh the pros and cons of that decision. I hope you weren't disappointed I left Forbes, left New York, but to tell you the truth, Mom, I wasn't happy there. Working on the Dandy is like a dream come, true. I'll be in charge and I'll be able to use the full force of my creative juices and get paid for doing it, too!"

"The Dandy!" Lorelai chuckled.

"Hey, no cutes and funnies. Anyway, once I made a decision like that, I felt so adult, so in charge of my life. Then I started thinking about everyone having children: you, Lane, Sookie and I realized that out of all the men I've dated, Dean's the only man I think I've ever met that I'd want to have children with. He's so kind and caring and loving and trustworthy, I know he'd make a wonderful father. Just like Luke will make for Peanut. Anyway, I started looking back over my life and realized the reason I've always been successful is because I've always been a planner and so I decided as far as men go, I wasn't going to waste time by dating man after man or date Dean in a wait-and-see mode, so I told him last night that unless he wanted our relationship to be permanent, I wasn't going to waste my time. That's when he took me to the jewelers to buy the engagement ring and that's when I told him we should get married today. We both agreed there wasn't any sense in waiting any longer since we already know we love each other and we're established in our careers."

"Well, I can't find any fault with that reasoning. I guess you're all grown up, widdle snookums. And if I had to pick a man for you, it'd definitely be the one who owns a bookstore."

"Lorelai, I got the chupah in the back of the truck, ready to take over to the inn," Luke announced. "You wanta come along to help me set it up?"

"Sure! I'll be with you in a minute, hon!"

After Luke and Lorelai left, Rory heard a knock at the door and almost had a meltdown, thinking it was Dean coming over to say he'd change his mind.

"Lane! Oh Lane! Thank goodness you're here! I'm a nervous wreck!"

"Believe me, I know the feeling. That's why I'm here, to lend my support!"

"Yikes! I just remembered I didn't ask you if you'd be my bridesmaid. Would you? Could you? I still have my bridesmaid dress from Sookie's wedding. It's not the usual ugly pink frau-frau with a fat yellow daisy sticking out of it. You might remember it from her wedding. It's a gorgeous, strapless, teal gown. You'll look great in it!"

"Well since it's not an ugly frau-frau dress, sure! Why not? Is there anything else I can do while I'm here?"

"Coffee! I would love some coffee!"

"Don't worry, I got it!"

"Lane, I'm so happy to be back in Stars Hollow and that we'll be close to each other again."

"And I'm so glad you're marrying, Dean. To tell you the truth, Rory, I really never liked any of your other boyfriends.

"Whoa! Way to be honest on my wedding day."

"I would have never said anything if you'd decided to marry any of them. I just figured it was okay to say it now since you're marrying, Dean.

"Which one did you like the least?"

"Oh no, contest, Jess. I mean don't get me wrong, I know he was really, really, cute and he could be pretty funny sometimes, but he was such a troublemaker at school, he totaled you car and I didn't like how he broke you and Dean up. From the outside looking in, it seemed like it had less to do with liking you and more like he was jealous of your relationship and that he almost enjoyed the challenge of seeing if he could break you up. Plus, he really didn't seem like a good catch for the long term. He had so many issues."

"Well, I asked you an honest question. You gave me an honest answer. I kind of wish you had told me this at the time."

"Come on, Rory. You were so smitten with him, if I'd said anything, that'd been the end of our friendship and it might have pushed you do to something crazy to try and prove me wrong. Well, I guess we should change the subject. The important thing is that you're back with who you belong and I couldn't be happier for you. Here's your coffee and I made you a pop tart."

"Thanks for coming over and taking care of me, Lane. I'm almost numb right now. Do you have any words of wisdom about marriage you can share with me?"

"Well, I can guarantee you it won't all be peaches and cream, but it's great to have someone there to share your ups and downs. It fortifies you and makes you feel stronger to have a partner by your side. There's just nothing quite like having the right man in your life who's exclusively there for you."

"Any down points?"

"Well, men can be slobs, I mean to the point where it really grosses you out sometimes, and they can be annoying when they want to spend twelve hours in a row watching football games on Sunday, but hey now that you're back, that won't be any problem. Dean and Zach can hang out together and watch their games all day and we can go shopping. "

"We're back, Ror! Hair and makeup time!"

"Mom! Lane's here. I asked her to be my bridesmaid. I'm giving her the dress from Sookie's wedding to wear."

"That's great, Hon. I'll join you two in a minute; I'm getting the hair and makeup stuff together."

"Well, I should probably get the dress from you now so you can go ahead and start getting  
ready. "

"Oh sure, let me go get that for you."

"Oh yeah, I remember this dress now. I love this dress."

"You can keep it if you want."

"Thanks, what time do you want me to meet you at the inn for my bridesmaid duties?"

"If you could make it at eleven that'd great."

"See ya then."

"Bye, Lane. Thanks for coming over to calm me down."

"You're very welcome, Rory."

* * *

"Rory, I just saw Dean come in," Lorelai exclaimed as they arrived at the inn. He's wearing a tux and he looks sooo fantastic _I_ want to marry him!"

"You can't have him!

"Pleaaase! I'll give you Luke! I promise he'll make you chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast every morning."

"Okay, sounds like a fair trade to me."

"Just kidding, hon. You two are going to make an awesome looking bride and groom. I gotta surprise for you – that is – Sookie has a surprise for you. Come on, " Lorelai said as she led Rory by the hand to the kitchen.

"Sookie! You made me a wedding cake? You must have stayed up all night to do this?"

"I did, but I don't care! I love weddings and I love that you're marrying Dean and not Jess or Logan."

"I guess it's unanimous. No one ever liked any of my boyfriends, except Dean."

"Basically," Lorelai agreed, nonchalantly.

"Lorelai, Rory, Christopher's here and it's getting close to time to start the service," Luke said as he joined them in the kitchen.

"Shall we?" Lorelai said as she turned to Rory.

"We shall!" Rory replied.

In honor of her mother, Rory chose "Eternal Flame" by the Bangles as her wedding march song. As she gracefully descended the stairs with Christopher, and strolled towards the rose covered chupah, there were gasps throughout the crowd of guests, she was the picture of bridal beauty perfection.

Dean was almost in tears as he watched Rory approaching her, recalling the time he'd escorted her to the debutante ball. She'd been dressed in a white gown on that occasion, too and here she was today dressed in a white gown again, ready to become his bride. This wedding had been a long time in the making and he was going to do his best to make her happy for the rest of his life.

Lorelai gave him a wink as she proceeded down the aisle. Dean was the only man Rory had ever dated that she thought was good enough for her daughter. She knew that Dean loved Rory more than he loved himself and she knew that he was going to do his best to make her happy.

"Who gives this woman to be married?" Taylor called out.

"I do," Christopher said, beaming proudly. He'd never gotten the chance to get to know Dean very well, but the little that he'd known of Dean was enough to satisfy him that his daughter was in good hands.

After the vows were said, the crowd applauded and Lorelai played "We Go Together!" from "Grease" as Dean and Rory walked down the aisle as man and wife.

Though the reception was small, it was quite the Stars Hollow event. In addition to the phenomenal wedding cake Sookie made for the occasion, she and her kitchen staff had also prepared a superb wedding brunch buffet. There was smoked salmon eggs benedict, served on croissants, instead of the usual English muffins, pecan waffles, cinnamon French toast, huevos rancheros, rosemary hash browns, fruit salad, scones, muffins, maple flavored bacon, link sausages and quiche wedges flavored with white cheddar and country ham.

Dean and Rory made their way to the floor to dance and Lorelai popped in "Our Love is Here to Stay," to serenade them for their first dance together as man and wife. Rory was more than glad Lorelai hadn't intentionally chosen a goofy song from her early morning repertoire to mark the occasion, but then she remembered Lorelai and Sookie had hosted hundreds of weddings at their inn and they were both quite good at it.

"Well, Gilmore, how does it feel to be a married lady?"

"Name's Forester now!"

"Oh really?" he beamed with gratitude that she'd chosen to take his name. "I thought with you being a writer and all, you might want to keep Gilmore."

"Nah! It might make it too confusing when we have our own Mr. Peanut."

"True! Have you given any thought as to when you'd like that to happen?" he almost asked sarcastically, presuming she had the exact date already written down on infamous to-do list.

"Soon, very soon," she answered as she pressed her cheek to his.

"Have I told you that I loved you today, Mrs. Forester?"

"Uh-huh, every second with your eyes. I love you, too, Narco Boy, and I'm never letting you get away again."


End file.
